Water, coming from a higher level than an artesian spring, can flow through a confined channel and travel upward into the spring as the water finds its own level. The upward-flowing water, if it passes through a layer of sand at the bottom of the spring, can be cleaned of solid particles by filtering action of the sand.
Later, a faster flow of water could serve to disturb the sand and cause it to release the solid particles that had been trapped in the sand—thus cleaning the filtering sand. The release of filtered particles could also result from other kinds of disruption to the compactness of the layer of sand, including (a) putting air bubbles in the water flowing upward through the sand, (b) moving the sand by mechanical stirring or vibration, and (c) shifting the sand about under the influence of a changing magnetic field in the case where the sand were a kind that could be attracted by a magnet.
The invention disclosed here mimics nature by creating a filter of sand that can trap small solid particles from an upward flowing stream of water. The continuously upward flowing water becomes “filtered water.” It is directed to a location for storage or for immediate use at a location where filtered water is used.
After some period of filtering action in a constantly flowing stream of water, the sand can become clogged with small solid particles (here called “particulates”), thus losing its ability to filter water effectively. However, the sand can be cleaned by disturbing its compactness in a manner sufficient to release particulates that have been trapped in the sand. Those released particulates are carried away in the constantly flowing flow of water and are directed to a space designated for disposal.
The invention disclosed here mimics nature, but it also makes use of principles of physics, man-made equipment, and attraction of black sand (e.g., sand containing magnetite) to magnets. Those elements are combined in a novel way to allow a forward wash filter-cleaning cycle by simply flowing water through a layer of particulate-laden sand after the layer has been made less compact by being disrupted during the filter-cleaning cycle. Particulates are washed away in forward flowing particulate-laden water during the filter-cleaning cycle.
Both filtered water and particulate water flow forward. That feature leads to an especially easy and effective system and device for (a) producing filtered water and (b) cleaning, during a filter-cleaning cycle, the filter that cleans the water of particulates.
The invention described here is an improvement over conventional filtering devices because it allows an almost continuous production of filtered water (or other filtered fluid). The forward flowing water-filtering cycle can be interrupted only infrequently by a very simple filter-cleaning cycle. During the filter-cleaning cycle (a) water continues to flow forward through a disrupted layer of sand and (b) particulate-laden water is directed to a disposal space. The layer of sand is cleaned in a very simple and straightforward way.
Thus, Forward Wash Filter Cleaning (FWFC) means that water always flows forward through an FWFC-enabled filtering device, even during cleaning. No backwash is required.